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Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Sprue Cutters Union #1 - Your First

A new blogger incentive was launched this week : "The sprue cutters union". You can find it over at The Combat Workshop, which I just got to know today. There's a special assignment : each week a topic will be launched and all bloggers that want to participate are to write about it and share their post with the "union".

The first topic is "Your first model".

As it so happens, my first post already mentioned my first model. I've only been blogging for a year, when I picked up my modelling hobby again after more than 10 years.

The model

My first was Revell's 1/72 F-117A Shadowhawk. It was 1990 and I was 12. This was a new release and I had just watched a documentary about this amazing "invisible" fighter, so I just had to have it.

Building

I don't remember much about the build itself, parts fitting well or not. I do remember having to re-attach the bomb bay doors several times.

I painted every part on the sprue, because that was a tip from the Revell booklet in the box. It does make it easier to paint some parts like that, but in general you're best off painting in (sub-) assemblies. I just painted everything with one thick coat and put it together with sometimes generous amounts of glue. (Revell Contacta professional)

The downside of paint-first-assemble-later is that all the little details, like antennas and doors, are glued on top of the paint, which is far from an ideal bond and they do tend to drop off.

Painting

I didn't use primer, I didn't prepare the model by removing all possible oil or grime by washing it with detergent. One thick layer of brushed on (enamel) paint would never come loose.

I actually still have the paint bottle : Revell #9 Matt Anthracite. It cost 45 (belgian) franks in the day, which translates to € 1,01.

I don't think I've thrown ANYTHING away in those 20+ years.

Finishing

I did nothing special to the decals in the days. Now I would varnish a model with a gloss coat, place decals with microsol and microset, then seal them in with another coat of varnish.

Back then, the model was finished when the last decal was placed. They have silvered over time, but my old models have survived multiple decades surprisingly well.

Pictures

When I restarted the hobby last year, I unboxed all my old models and took new pictures. So, yes, I have pictures of my very first model.

Related posts

Participating in the topics of the Sprue Cutters Union means sharing links to the other's posts. Pay them a visit and check out their other stories.

Want to join the Sprue Cutters Union? Its simple. If you model and have a blog that is all you need to start. Just write a post in response to the weekly topic, copy the link in the comments section for that week's assignment and you're in! Check out more detail about joining the Sprue Cutters Union.